Self Description

March 2003: "Today, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a worldwide religion. The Church:
Has over 11 million members, more than half of whom live outside the United States.
Is represented by over 60,000 missionaries in 162 countries.
Has published more than 100 million copies of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, in over 93 languages.
Has more than 100 temples worldwide.
Has congregations throughout the world where members and visitors meet each Sunday to worship and learn. "

Third-Party Descriptions

December 2013: "They claim their privacy rights were being violated by the decades-old law, passed around the time Utah became a state. They are members of a fundamentalist branch of the Mormon Church known as the Apostolic United Brethren Church."

April 2010: "Given our support for houses of worship, it seems reasonable to ask how much the various holy books would have us give. Perhaps the best-known prescription for giving is the Mormon practice of tithing, where members give 10 percent of their income to the church each year."

July 2008: 'That fusion of sexuality and religion in "Men on a Mission" was so combustible that last weekend the calendar's creator, Chad Hardy of Las Vegas, was excommunicated by a disciplinary council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. LDS authorities won't discuss the matter since the church treats disciplinary matters confidentially. But Hardy said the church's move was motivated by LDS officials' desire to scare the flock away from expressing their sexuality and disobeying their edicts. Hardy had been instructed by his local stake president (a Mormon clerical leader) to stop producing the calendar; instead he moved ahead with the 2009 edition, due out in September, and is conducting auditions for the 2010 version.'

August 2007: "On Sept. 11, 1857, Mormons aided by native American allies massacred about 120 unarmed men, women, and children bound for California by wagon train. The slaughter took place amid war hysteria: The US Army was marching toward Utah to confront Mormon leaders. After covering up the Mountain Meadows massacre for years, the church is supporting an exhaustive Mormon research effort to leave no stone unturned."

February 2008: "Ms. Roberts contends that Mr. Shepp spoke to one of her daughters from a previous marriage about marrying him, which he denies. She left Mr. Shepp and has primary custody of their daughter. He was excommunicated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for his polygamist views and is now part of a Mormon fundamentalist movement in Utah."

QUOTE: If we’re going to try to set standards that might offer guidance for us all, shouldn’t we look not just at what people earn but what they have? Once you do, it suggests a whole new way of thinking about what to give and a couple of ways to donate higher amounts more easily.

QUOTE: An Oregon jury on Friday found the Boy Scouts of America liable for the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old boy more than 25 years ago, returning a verdict of $18.5 million in punitive damages....alleged that though the scout leader was removed, he was allowed to stay on as a volunteer and the abuse continued.

QUOTE: Is signing a petition and delivering it to the government a public act, like voting on a bill in the legislature or contributing money to a campaign? Or is it more like casting a secret ballot at the polling place?

QUOTE: dotting the online display are thousands of red arrows... identifying the addresses of donors who supported Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California. It is exactly those arrows that concern supporters of the measure, who say they have been regularly harassed since the election...

QUOTE: Pin-up calendars are nothing new, but this one has a twist: it shows handsome, recently returned Mormon missionaries both in and out of traditional missionary garb. That fusion of sexuality and religion in "Men on a Mission" was so combustible that last weekend the calendar's creator, Chad Hardy of Las Vegas, was excommunicated by a disciplinary council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

QUOTE: But also recognize, black residents say, the mix of ignorance, presumption and often an almost touching innocence that animate their stories about living in a place where most white people appear to be well-intentioned but simply do not know very many black people, and are not sure how to act.

QUOTE: Bringing polygamist families closer to regaining custody of their children, a divided Supreme Court of Texas agreed Thursday that the state had illegally seized 468 girls and boys from a West Texas ranch last month on unproven grounds of physical and sexual abuse.

QUOTE: Across the country, child-custody disputes in which religion is the flash point are increasing...for constitutional reasons, judges are reluctant to base their rulings primarily on the religious preferences of parents.

QUOTE: Walter Bugden, one of Jeffs' attorneys, says he views the case against Jeffs as religious persecution. The polygamous sect is not affiliated with the mainstream Mormon church, which outlawed polygamy in 1890.

QUOTE: But Bylund also received death threats from Mormons unhappy with the effort. And when a backhoe accidentally dug up a shovel full of bones, distrust of the church flared among victims' relatives. Finally, at the dedication ceremony, Mr. Hinckley offered words of healing to the descendants, but punctuated them with a legalistic disclaimer of any church responsibility.

QUOTE: Religious organizations have long competed for federal contracts .... But an analysis of federal records shows that some religious organizations are also hiring professional lobbyists to pursue the narrowly tailored individual appropriations known as earmarks.

QUOTE: An Arizona judge has sentenced a polygamist to 45 days in county jail for having sex with a teenager he took as his third wife. The sentence disappointed authorities in Kingman, Arizona, who had hoped a harsher punishment for defendant Kelly Fischer would discourage others in the church from taking teenage wives

QUOTE: Supporters of a new law that loosens restrictions on the carrying of concealed weapons in Utah assert that allowing teachers, janitors, and other school staff to carry such weapons will add to school security.

QUOTE: The State Legislature is considering a bill that would impose stiff new penalties against any polygamist convicted of marrying a girl under 18 and any religious leader who orchestrates such a union.